Group urges action to tackle youth crime

Leaders of the Community Coalition are urging a more proactive response to the spate of recent shootings involving youth, following the outpouring of national grief in response to the funeral of 13-year-old Shawnaton Chase.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY, trustee Hamilton Lashley and CEO Henderson Williams said there was a need for urgent, coordinated intervention to tackle the root causes of youth crime and that the country cannot afford to continue operating in silos, responding only when tragedy strikes.

“It’s not just this year—we’ve seen the pattern for at least the last five or six years,” Williams said. 

“The victims and perpetrators are often young, poor, and from the same communities. You hardly see middle-class and like minded folks in these shootings. That tells a story.”

The Coalition—which was conceptualised to complement government social services by engaging community actors and agencies—has called for a structured social safety net, especially in high-risk housing areas.

Williams referred to a comment by one caller to a radio programme this week, who admitted they would not report illegal activity in their community because they feared unequal treatment by the justice system.

“They said they wouldn’t rat out their neighbour because when it’s a middle-class person, they get off with a slap on the wrist, while the poor get jail time,” Williams said. 

“That’s the reality we’re up against. It’s a system that some feel treats them differently based on where they come from.”

Williams added, “We can’t talk about justice and safety if people don’t feel the system is fair.”

The Coalition has mobilised support from public figures including Bridgetown representative Corey Lane and other members of the public and private sector, including several grassroots sporting and community groups. 

The initiative is now focused on building out a national framework for social intervention—ranging from financial literacy and job readiness to youth mentorship, emotional wellness, and support for young fathers.

Williams said sporting events have consistently proved successful in defusing tension in volatile communities.

“We’ve held competitions in areas known for violence and nothing happened. No gunplay, no war. Just people competing, then going home peacefully. That’s what we need more of—ongoing, organised community-building.”

The Coalition plans to intensify its outreach through community centres, policy engagement, and inter-regional partnerships.

Trustee Lashley said the initiatives need to go beyond Barbados.

“We need to connect with regional groups working on the same agenda. The talking must stop—we need practical intervention programmes that hit ground zero.”

He highlighted that engagements are already underway to foster collaborations between Barbados and social organisations from Trinidad, Guyana, Antigua, and St Vincent.

“We can no longer just talk. We have to move to practical intervention programmes that synchronise with what is needed at the core… on the ground,” Lashley said, stressing that the time for fragmented responses has passed and that a strategic, sustained and community-led approach is now needed before more families are left to mourn. 

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb